The prevalence of cyberbullying and the association between cyberbullying emotional exhaustion and perception of collective efficacy among Chinese college students

OBJECTIVE

With the rapid development of information and communications technology, the prevalence of cyberbullying and its influences on mental health among college students have received increasing attention. The purpose of this study was to survey the prevalence of cyberbullying in Chinese college students and to investigate the association between cyberbullying, emotional exhaustion and the perception of collective efficacy.

METHODS

The study sample included 5315 respondents from ten different colleges in Liaoning Province. Their demographic characteristics and characteristics of online behaviors and instruments including a Cyberbullying Scale with 12 items, the Emotional Exhaustion measuring scale, and the Perception of Collective Efficacy Scale, were employed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 26.45 % (1406/5315). Younger male college students who had more active online lives were more likely to be cyberbullying victims. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that being a cyberbullying victim (odds ratio, OR = 2.188; 95%CI, 1.841-2.600, p < 0.001) was associated with emotional exhaustion. Perceptions of collective efficacy (PCE) is negatively associated with cyberbullying and, thus, alleviate emotional exhaustion and mediate the negative effect of emotional exhaustion after it occurs.

CONCLUSION

Cyberbullying occurs quite frequently among Chinese college students. Cyberbullying is a predictor of emotional exhaustion. PCE play a bidirectional role before and after cyberbullying occurs. Our study highlights the importance of the identification of potential cyberbullying victims and of the provision of early interventions in cyberbullying among Chinese college students to improve their mental health.

Developmental Trajectories of Cyber-Aggression among Early Adolescents in Canada: The Impact of Aggression, Gender, and Time Spent Online

The objective of the present study was to examine developmental trajectories of cyber-aggression in early adolescence, as well as their relationship with predictive factors related to cyber-aggression (e.g., overt aggression, gender, and time spent online). Participants were 384 adolescents from the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada who were in grade six and grade seven at Time 1 of the study (192 boys, Mage = 13.62 years, SD = 0.74 year). Three years of longitudinal data on cyber-aggression, overt aggression, and time spent online were collected via online self-report questionnaires. Findings indicated three different trajectories of cyber-aggression: (a) a low-increasing (85.7% of the sample), (b) a stable trajectory (9.3% of the sample), and (c) a high-decreasing trajectory (4.9% of the sample). Adolescents who reported higher scores on overt aggression and spent more time online were more likely to be in the stable or high-decreasing groups. These findings highlight the importance of studying subgroups regarding the developmental course of cyber-aggression in early adolescence. The implications of present study findings give insight into gender differences and overt aggression among youth to inform cyber-aggression intervention and prevention.

Left-Behind Experiences and Cyberbullying Behavior in Chinese College Students: The Mediation of Sense of Security and the Moderation of Gender

Left-behind children seem to be more sensitive in interpersonal communication, find it more difficult to establish a stable, safe relationship with surrounding people, and have fewer positive coping styles when encountering problems, thus the aim of the present study was to explore the association between left-behind experiences and cyberbullying behavior among Chinese college students through the mediation of sense of security and the moderation of gender. A questionnaire survey comprised 553 college students with left-behind experiences and 526 college students without such experiences. The results showed that, firstly, cyberbullying behavior was significantly higher in college students with left-behind experiences than those without such experiences; secondly, left-behind experiences and cyberbullying behavior in college students was partially mediated by a sense of security; and finally, that gender moderated the mediation of the sense of security between left-behind experiences and cyberbullying behavior. This study suggests the family environment is important for individual growth and illustrates how the influence of childhood left-behind experience persists in individuals.

Why Do Bystanders Become Cyberbullies? The Effect of Perceived Reasonableness of Online Messages on Bystanders' Aggressive Tendency and Its Underlying Mechanism

The objectives of this study were to examine the influence of bystanders' perceived reasonableness of online messages on their aggressive tendency toward victims and to examine the mediating role of bystanders' attribution of responsibility to victims on their aggressive tendency toward the victims. Our study involved two parts: In Study 1, 295 Taiwanese undergraduates were recruited, and questionnaires were distributed to them to measure their perceived reasonableness of cyberbullying attacks. In Study 2, a total of 78 university students were recruited. The participants' perceived reasonableness of cyberbullying attacks was reduced through experimental manipulation. Subsequently, they were randomly assigned to a group with relatively low reasonableness or a control group. The results of both studies revealed that the participants' aggressive tendency toward the victim was influenced by their perceived reasonableness of cyberbully messages. The relation between perceived reasonableness and aggressive tendency was mediated by the participants' attribution of responsibility to the victim.

The association between childhood trauma and adolescent cyberbullying: chain mediating roles of emotional intelligence and online social anxiety

Objective

This study explored the impact of childhood trauma on adolescent cyberbullying and the mediating roles of emotional intelligence and online social anxiety between them.

Methods

The Childhood Trauma Scale, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Chinese Brief Version of the Social Media User Social Anxiety Scale and Cyber Bullying Scale were used to assess 1,046 adolescents [boys: 297, girls: 749, average age = 15.79 years] from four schools in Shandong Province, China. SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0 were used for statistical analysis.

Results

(1) Childhood trauma was positively associated with adolescents' cyberbullying; (2) Emotional intelligence and online social anxiety played partial mediating roles in the relationship between childhood trauma and cyberbullying; (3) Emotional intelligence and online social anxiety played a chain mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and cyberbullying.

Conclusion

This study reveals the relationship and mediating mechanisms between childhood trauma and cyberbullying. It provides implications for the theory and prevention of cyberbullying.

The relationship between parental neglect and cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese adolescent: The sequential role of cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder

Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization have been common public health issues that have impaired the development of adolescent physical and mental health. Abundant research has proven associations between negative parental factors and cyberbullying perpetration. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the impact of parental neglect on cyberbullying and its internal mechanisms. Based on the parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory) and the general aggression model (GAM), the present study constructs a sequential mediation model in which parental neglect is related to adolescent cyberbullying perpetration through cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Using random cluster sampling, a total of 699 middle school students (M age = 14.18 years, SD = 1.22, and 324 boys) were recruited from five schools in three provinces on mainland China. The participants completed questionnaires regarding parental neglect, cyberbullying perpetration, cyberbullying victimization, and IGD. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that parental neglect was positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration. The mediating effects of cyberbullying victimization and IGD in this relationship are significant both individually and jointly. The current findings have important implications for enlightening families and schools to pay particular attention to adolescents' experiences of parental neglect and provide them with timely feedback and assistance. This will contribute to the prevention and reduction of adolescent involvement in cyberbullying perpetration.

Anxiety, Depression, Self-Esteem, Internet Addiction and Predictors of Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization among Female Nursing University Students: A Cross Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying and cybervictimization, which have been linked to the growth of the Internet and issues with mental health, can have serious psychological and academic consequences for young individuals, yet they have received relatively little scientific attention at universities. These phenomena have become an alarming social issue due to their rising rate and devastating physical and psychological effects on undergraduate university students.

AIM

to estimate the prevalence of depression, low self-esteem, cybervictimization, anxiety, cyberbullying, and Internet addiction among Saudi female nursing university students and to identify the factors that predict cybervictimization and cyberbullying.

METHODS

Convenience sampling was used to select 179 female nursing university students with an average age of 20.80 ± 1.62 years for the purpose of conducting a descriptive cross-sectional study.

RESULTS

The percentage of students who reported having low self-esteem was 19.55%, depression (30.17%), Internet addiction (49.16%), anxiety (34.64%), cyberbullying (20.67%), and cybervictimization (17.32%). There was an inverse relationship between students' self-esteem and their risk of engaging in cyberbullying (AOR = 0.782, 95% CI: 0.830-0.950, p = 0.002) or becoming cybervictims (AOR = 0.840, 95% CI: 0.810-0.920, p < 0.001). Further, Internet addiction predicted both cyberbullying (AOR = 1.028, 95% CI: 1.012-1.049, p = 0.003) and cybervictimization (AOR = 1.027, 95% CI: 1.010-1.042, p < 0.001). The likelihood of experiencing anxiety was linked to cyberbullying (AOR = 1.047, 95% CI: 1.031-1.139, p < 0.001) and cybervictimization (AOR = 1.042, 95% CI: 1.030-1.066, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Importantly, the findings suggest that programs designed to help university students avoid participating in cyberbullying activities or becoming cybervictims should take into account the influence of Internet addiction, mental health issues, and self-esteem.

Digital Media Used in Education: The Influence on Cyberbullying Behaviors among Youth Students

Students, colleagues, and other members of society are increasingly using digital media. Students utilize digital media for a variety of reasons, including communication, gaming, making new friends, and simply being curious. However, there are some disadvantages to using digital media. Cyberbullying, cyberharassment, and cyberstalking are examples of useful digital media activities that can have a negative impact on digital media users and lead to societal issues. Surprisingly, limited studies have investigated cyberbullying in depth, utilizing a broad and varied sample of Middle Eastern institutions. As a result, the purpose of this study is to fill a research vacuum by questioning students' use of digital media for cyber involvement. This research aims to create a model for assessing the ethical consequences of behaviors that directly impact students' psychological health because of their use of digital media. The questionnaire looked at how people used digital media to engage in cyberbullying and cyber engagement, the ethical implications of bullying, and being harassed, stalked, and bullied. The study employed a quantitative questionnaire to collect data to achieve the research goal. It was given to 1012 students who are digital media users. Partial least squares (PLS) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to examine the data. Considering the empirical data, nearly half of the participants admitted to being harassed, stalked, or bullied on different digital platforms. The evaluation of discriminant validity is a prerequisite factor for examining possible variables' relationships. The goodness-of-fit index indicates that the model is well-fit. Through the established model, decision-makers and school administration would be able to implement measures that would effectively reduce cyber harassment among students and improve the digital media usage experience.

College students and cyberbullying: how social media use affects social anxiety and social comparison

Cyberbullying is defined as aggression intending to inflict harm on others by electronic communication technologies. Cyberbullying has become more common as social media has grown and is accompanied by negative mental health consequences. Research on cyberbullying and mental health in adolescents suggests cyberbullying victimization moderates the relationship between social comparison and social anxiety, but little is known about this phenomenon in college students. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the relationship between cyberbullying, social anxiety, and social comparison amongst college students. A convenience sample of 486 undergraduate students from southern Texas and northern Ohio completed a PyschData survey that assessed social anxiety, social comparison, experiences with be a cyberbullying victim, perpetrator, or both. We found that social anxiety was associated with cyberbullying victimization and perpetration; however, social comparison was not. Cyberbullying victimization was not a moderator between social comparison and anxiety, suggesting that unlike adolescence, college students' experiences with these constructs may be unique to their developmental level.

Influence of family cohesion on Chinese adolescents' engagement in school bullying: A moderated mediation model

In this study, a total number of 1,026 Chinese adolescents were surveyed using the cohesion sub-scale of the Family Environment Scale, the Self-control Scale, the Parental Monitoring Questionnaire, and the revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire to explore the effects of family cohesion on adolescents' engagement in school bullying and the mechanisms of self-control and parental monitoring in the relationship between them. The results showed that: (1) family cohesion, self-control, and parental monitoring were significantly and negatively related to school bullying; (2) family cohesion directly influenced school bullying and also indirectly influenced school bullying through a mediating effect - self-control; (3) parental monitoring played a moderating role in the path of self-control affecting school bullying. Therefore, to reduce the occurrence of school bullying, it is necessary to strengthen the self-control ability of adolescents and improve the family cohesion environment and maintain a moderate level of parental monitoring. The results of this study revealed the effect of family cohesion on adolescents' engagement in school bullying and its mechanism of action, which can provide a theoretical basis for preventing and reducing the occurrence of school bullying incidents.

The relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescents' cyberbullying victimization: The new phenomenon of a "cycle of victimization"

BACKGROUND

The research community is showing an increasing concern about the adverse outcomes of childhood maltreatment for adolescents. However, whether childhood maltreatment is associated with cyberbullying victimization and what the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are remain to be identified.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine the relationship between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying victimization and whether self-compassion and fear of missing out (FoMO) can simultaneously moderate this relationship among adolescents.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A sample of 1025 Chinese adolescents (50.8 % male participants, age = 15.50 ± 0.52 years) completed questionnaires regarding childhood maltreatment, cyberbullying victimization, self-compassion, and FoMO.

METHODS

Our hypotheses were tested by correlation analysis and Model 3 of the PROCESS macro.

RESULTS

Childhood maltreatment significantly predicted adolescents' cyberbullying victimization (β = 0.28, p < .001). High self-compassion weakened the relationship between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying victimization (β = -0.10, p < .001). Furthermore, self-compassion and FoMO simultaneously interacted with childhood maltreatment to predict cyberbullying victimization (β = 0.08, p < .001). Specifically, high FoMO weakened the moderating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying victimization. Childhood maltreatment significantly predicted cyberbullying victimization among adolescents high in FoMO, regardless of self-compassion levels. In contrast, childhood maltreatment non-significantly predicted cyberbullying victimization when adolescents were high in self-compassion and low in FoMO.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood maltreatment is positively associated with cyberbullying victimization. Moreover, increasing self-compassion and decreasing FoMO can mitigate the effect of childhood maltreatment on cyberbullying victimization.

Cyberbullying involvement, parental support, and cannabis use among adolescents

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying victimization has been associated with cannabis use among adolescents. However, it is unclear if this relationship also holds for cyberbullying perpetrators.

OBJECTIVE

This cross-sectional study examined the association between cyberbullying involvement and cannabis use among adolescents and tested if parental support was associated with cyberbullying involvement and cannabis use.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data from 7229 students aged 11-20 years were obtained from the 2019 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide survey of middle and high school students across Ontario, Canada.

METHODS

Participants self-reported their cannabis use frequency, their involvement in cyberbullying, and their perception of parental support. Cyberbullying involvement was operationalized as an action taking place at least two times. Multivariable logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex, ethnoracial background, and subjective socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

Overall, 8.6 % of students were cyberbullying victims only, 2 % were cyberbullying perpetrators only, and 2.8 % were both cyberbullying victims and perpetrators. Results showed that experience of cyberbullying victimization only (OR: 2.17; 95 % CI: 1.64-2.88), perpetration only (OR: 2.64; 95 % CI: 1.51-4.63), or both (OR: 3.34; 95 % CI: 2.12-5.28) was associated with greater odds of cannabis use. Results further indicated that higher parental support was associated with lower odds of cannabis use in a dose-response fashion. Higher parental support was also associated with a lower risk of cyberbullying involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that involvement in cyberbullying in any role is associated with greater cannabis use among adolescents and that parental support is associated with less cannabis use and cyberbullying involvement.

Fight or Flight? Curvilinear Relations between Previous Cyberbullying Victimization Experiences and Continuous Use of Social Media: Social Media Rumination and Distress as Chain Mediators

Recently, the number of active users of social media platforms is declining, posing a challenge to the sustainability of interest in social media and related industries. Therefore, it is of great significance to examine the environmental and psychological factors that influence the continuous use of social media. Until recently, little research has examined this topic from the perspective of the relationship between previous cyberbullying victimization experiences (PCVE) and the continuous use of social media (CUOSM), not to mention the psychological mechanisms that lead to this relationship. In addition, there are paradoxes in existing studies: one side believes that PCVE causes users to become addicted to using social media, while the other side argues that PCVE drives users to escape from using social media. In order to respond to this controversy and clarify the relationship between PCVE and CUOSM, this study introduces two psychological variables, namely “social media rumination (SMR)” and “distress”, in order to construct a chain mediation model. Researchers surveyed 692 people who had experienced social media cyberbullying, and analyzed the data through SPSS and Mplus. The findings were as follows: 1. There is an inverted U-shaped curve relationship between PCVE and CUOSM. Specifically, the relationship initially exhibits a positive correlation (the period named fight), which then becomes negative (the period named flight). 2. When PCVE and CUOSM are positively correlated, SMR is the main factor that contributes to an increase in CUOSM. 3. When PCVE and CUOSM are negatively correlated, distress is the major factor that causes a decline in CUOSM. This study provides an explanation for the controversy in previous research, expands the scope of social media research, and provides a practical reference for social media platforms to enhance their existing users’ continuous use.

The influence of family incivility on cyberbullying perpetration: A moderated mediation model

Previous research has extended the stress literature by exploring the relationship between family incivility and cyberbullying perpetration, yet relatively less attention has been paid to underlying psychological mechanisms between that relationship among university students. According to the Frustration-Aggression Theory, this study examined the relationships of family incivility, cyberbullying perpetration, negative emotions and neuroticism among Chinese university students. Data were collected from 814 university students (females, N = 423; Mage = 19.96 years, SD = 3.09). The results examined the mechanism through which family incivility was significantly related to cyberbullying perpetration through the mediation of negative emotions, suggesting a strong link of stressful life events to online aggression. In addition, high levels of neuroticism moderated the relationship between family incivility and cyberbullying perpetration, as well as that between family incivility and negative emotions. The study revealed the chronic and potential impact of family incivility, underlined the interaction between stressful life events and online aggression, and put forward the intervention strategies of cyberbullying among university students.

Exploring Multivariate Profiles of Psychological Distress and Empathy in Early Adolescent Victims, Bullies, and Bystanders Involved in Cyberbullying Episodes

(1) Background: Adolescents may be involved in cyberbullying as victims, perpetrators, or to a lesser extent, victim-perpetrators simultaneously. The present research investigated differences between participants acting in different bullying roles-namely, bully, victim, or bully/victim-and bystander roles-namely, defending, passive bystander, and passive/defending; (2) Methods: We used multivariate analysis of covariance to determine how, in the same individuals, direct involvement in cyberbullying episodes compares to participating in them as by-standers in relation to both psychological distress and empathy; (3) Results: Both victims and bully/victims were found to be at increased risk for suicidal ideation, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and emotional dysregulation compared with students who were neither victims nor perpetrators of cyberbullying episodes. Additionally, victims showed higher empathy scores when compared with bullies and bully/victims. All bystander roles showed increased emotional dysregulation compared with uninvolved students, but no differences emerged on other psychological distress measures. Finally, defending bystanders showed increased cognitive empathy. (4) Conclusions: During early adolescence, the direct experience of cyberbullying, as a bully or a victim (or both), show a stronger association with psychological distress than the mere participation in cyberbullying as a witness, regardless of the witness acting defensive toward the victim, or passive. However, both cyberbullying and bystanding roles provide a similar (small) explicative power over empathy variables.

Bayesian Approach to Multivariate Component-Based Logistic Regression: Analyzing Correlated Multivariate Ordinal Data

Applications of component-based models have gained much attention as a means of accompanying dimension reduction in the regression setting and have been successfully implemented to model a univariate outcome in the behavioral and social sciences. Despite the prevalence of correlated ordinal outcome data in the fields, however, most of the extant component-based models have been extended to address the multivariate ordinal issue with a simplified but unrealistic assumption of independence, which may lead to biased statistical inferences. Thus, we propose a Bayesian methodology for a component-based model that accounts for unstructured residual covariances, while regressing multivariate ordinal outcomes on pre-defined sets of predictors. The proposed Bayesian multivariate ordinal logistic model re-expresses ordinal outcomes of interest with a set of latent continuous variables based on an approximate multivariate t-distribution. This contributes not only to developing an efficient Gibbs sampler, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, but also to facilitating the interpretation of regression coefficients as log-transformed odds ratio. The empirical utility of the proposed method is demonstrated through analyzing a subset of data, extracted from the 2009 to 2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study that investigates risk factors of four different forms of bullying perpetration and victimization: physical, social, racial, and cyber.

Exploring Social Media Rumination: Associations With Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Distress

In this study, we examined students' perceptions of peer aggression occurring within their school environment and how these perceptions are interconnected with both social media rumination and distress. Social media usage is associated with a range of negative mental health and interpersonal outcomes for adolescents. Social media use can increase youth's vulnerability to peer victimization and psychosocial difficulties. In addition, ruminating when sad or stressed has been linked to elevated distress for youth experiencing peer aggression. Yet rumination specifically regarding social media activities has not been investigated in relation to peer aggression and distress, nor has the degree to which students perceive peer aggression occurring at school been included in these investigations. Participants were 169 high school students (age, M = 15.89, SD = .87), largely identifying as Black/African American and female, who completed surveys as part of a larger program working with at-risk youth in a Midwestern, urban city. We found that social media rumination mediated the relationship between perceptions of bullying at school and feelings of distress, but mediation was not supported when examining student perceptions of cyberbullying frequency and youth distress. In the case of bullying, rumination may disrupt other forms of coping-such as positive cognitive distractions-that would ameliorate symptoms of distress. Furthermore, we present evidence that social media rumination is experienced by, and has different influences on, youth. We highlight the need for differentiated intervention and prevention efforts regarding these two forms of peer aggression. Future research may be justified to examine these possibilities.

Motives Behind Cyberbullying Perpetration: A Test of Uses and Gratifications Theory

Drawing from Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), this study explored the interplay between personality traits (online disinhibition, moral disengagement, narcissism, and aggression) and cyberbullying perpetration motives (entertainment, revenge, harm, and dominance) through structural equation modeling. The participants were a convenience sample of 598 cyber bully-victims who were Turkish university students (229 females, 362 males, and seven unknown). The findings empirically supported UGT for conceptualization of cyberbullying perpetration. Almost half of the participants (49.7%) cyberbullied someone twice or more during the preceding 6 months, and males cyberbullied others significantly more than females. In terms of the structural interrelationships, (a) online disinhibition was the only personality trait related to cyberbullying others for entertainment; (b) moral disengagement and aggression were the two variables associated with the revenge motive of cyberbullying perpetration; (c) although online disinhibition was negatively related to cyberbullying others for harm, moral disengagement and aggression were positively linked to harm; and (d) moral disengagement and narcissism were the two personality trait variables associated with the dominance motive of cyberbullying perpetration. Results imply that UGT offers a new understanding about cyberbullying perpetration to researchers, theorists, and practitioners. Personality traits play an important role in cyberbullying perpetration motives and behaviors. Thus, personality traits should be considered in prevention and intervention efforts against cyberbullying. The earlier the personality characteristics of the young individuals are identified, the earlier they can be prevented from engaging in cyberbullying perpetration. Also, sports activities, social events, competitive contests, or leisure and recreational activities offered by university managements can help the university youth to keep away from cyberbullying perpetration and to satisfy motives in more appropriate ways.

Psychosocial Difficulties and Help-Seeking Behaviors in Singapore Adolescents Involved in Cyberbullying

Bullying through online medium has afflicted many adolescents to cause severe mental health concerns, including self-harm and suicide. The aims of this study are to examine the prevalence of cyberbullying in Singapore adolescents, its associations with psychosocial difficulties, and how do the adolescents seek help after being cybervictimized. A representative sample of 3,319 school students aged between 12 and 17 years responded to a survey with scales measuring cyberbullying, psychosocial difficulties, and help-seeking behaviors. In the present study, 7.3 percent of adolescents reported being cybervictims only, 1.8 percent were cyberbullies only, and 4.8 percent were cyberbully-victims. Compared with the non-involved group, both cybervictim and cyberbully-victim groups were associated with more internalizing problems, but all the three cyberbullying-involved groups were associated with higher externalizing problems. Approximately half of the cybervictimized participants reported that they have sought help, with most of them (81.7 percent) choosing to tell their friends. Our findings are consistent with previous overseas studies showing increased associations of psychosocial difficulties among adolescents who are involved in cyberbullying. Public awareness of the consequences of unhealthy cyber-usage could be raised to aid in the early detection of cyberbullying among school children and adolescents. Moreover, cyberwellness programs should be considered as a component of larger anti-bullying programs in schools and in the community.

Cyberbullying in Social Media and Online Games among Chinese College Students and Its Associated Factors

Cyberbullying can have a terrible impact on the physical and mental health of those involved. In severe cases, some of those involved develop anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies. However, few studies focus on cyberbullying among Chinese college students. We aimed to understand the incidence of cyberbullying in social media and online games and its associated factors among college students in China. A cross-sectional STAR questionnaire survey was conducted for college students from the end of June to the beginning of July 2019. Selected via the method of cluster random sampling, students graded 1-5 (college) from two colleges in Shantou were invited to participate in the survey. Information was collected regarding respondents' socio-demographic information, cyberbullying in social media and online games, self-esteem, anxiety symptoms, Internet addiction, etc. A binary logistic regression model was employed to use all significant variables tested using χ² test or t-test for estimating the effect of potential factors on cyberbullying among college students. Participants were 20.43 ± 1.513 (X ± SD) years old, and the age range was 15 to 25 years old. 64.32% college students reported that they had suffered from cyberbullying, and 25.98% reported bullying others online during the semester. Gender, anxiety symptoms, Internet addiction, game time, and violent elements in games were associated with cyberbullying in social media and online games among college students in China. In conclusion, cyberbullying in social media and online games is prevalent among college students in China. The above data provided insights that targeted and effective measures should be taken to prevent college students from cyberbullying.

Risk Factors Influencing Cyberbullying Perpetration among Middle School Students in Korea: Analysis Using the Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Regression Model

This cross-sectional descriptive study identified risk factors and predictors related to the perpetration of and potential for cyberbullying among adolescents, respectively. The analysis included a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model. Data were assessed from 2590 middle-school student panels obtained during the first wave of the Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey 2018. Of these respondents, 63.7% said they had not experienced the perpetration of cyberbullying. However, a subsequent count model analysis showed that several factors were significantly associated with cyberbullying, including offline delinquency, aggression, smartphone dependency, and smartphone usage on weekends (either 1-3 h or over 3 h). A logit model analysis also showed several predictive factors that increased the likelihood of cyberbullying, including gender (boys), offline delinquency, aggression, smartphone usage during weekdays (1-3 h), computer usage during weekends (1-3 h), and negative parenting. These identified risks and predictors should be useful for interventions designed to prevent the perpetration of cyberbullying among middle school students.

Coping strategies, cyberbullying behaviors, and depression among Chinese netizens during the COVID-19 pandemic: a web-based nationwide survey

BACKGROUND

As a major life stressor now, the COVID-19 pandemic could substantially increase risks of cyberbullying and depression for global people, especially in the context of increased digital interconnectedness and strict social distancing. Though people are adopting different coping strategies, still little is known about their cyberbullying and depression and how the two associated with coping strategies.

METHODS

A web-based nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted among 5,608 netizens during the peak time of COVID-19 in China. The study collected cross-sectional data on participants' coping strategies, general cyberbullying behaviors, cyberbullying behaviors specifically to residents of Hubei Province where first COVID-19 case was reported, and depression.

RESULTS

A two-factor structure applied to participants' coping strategies, namely problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping, and the former was more adopted. There existed gender, age, education, and income differences in the coping strategies. Problem-focused coping was associated with less cyberbullying behaviors while had no correlation with depression; emotion-focused coping was found positively correlated with cyberbullying and depression. The association between emotion-focused coping and depression was mediated by cyberbullying.

LIMITATIONS

The study used cross-sectional design, and its findings should be cautioned to be generalized to other countries, due to the differences in culture, stage of crisis, and government policies on COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

Problem-focused coping was associated with less cyberbullying, and emotion-focused coping predicted cyberbullying and depression. Cyberbullying mediated the correlation between emotion-focused coping and depression. These findings provide new perspectives for interventions on people's coping strategies towards COVID-19 pandemic.

Online disinhibition and internet communication of non-suicidal self-injury

OBJECTIVE

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is of concern given the increased risk for suicide attempt. Prevalence rates of NSSI are highest among adolescents and young adults. These groups also exhibit the highest rates of Internet use. Previous research suggests that online communication of NSSI can serve as both a risk and protective factor related to NSSI engagement. This study explored online disinhibition in the context of NSSI e-communities as a potential factor that could contribute to opposing NSSI outcomes.

METHOD

The study sample consisted of 200 individuals 18 years or older (M = 21.76, SD = 5.24) recruited from social networking sites (i.e., Reddit, LiveJournal). These participants provided self-report of their NSSI histories and degree of online disinhibition.

RESULTS

Those who engaged in Internet communication of NSSI at the highest level endorsed more online disinhibition than those less involved with NSSI content. Furthermore, within this group of high communicators, increased toxic disinhibition predicted lower lifetime frequency of NSSI.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that online behavior, including toxic disinhibition, may contribute to NSSI outcomes. Online disinhibition and its relationship to NSSI should be an area of continued research. Cyberbullying may be an additional construct of interest in future studies of NSSI e-communication.

The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Social Support and School Climate on the Association between Cyber Victimization and Internalizing Symptoms

Although the link between cyber victimization and internalizing symptoms is well established, questions remain about the factors that may describe this association and whether they differ by gender. In the current study, the mediating and moderating roles of social support (peers, family) and experiences of school climate (i.e., students' feelings of safety and caring within the school environment) were examined on the association between cyber victimization and internalizing symptoms among early adolescent boys and girls. Participants included 1151 students (51.4% boys) aged 10 to 16 (M_age = 12.7, SD = 0.93). Results from a hierarchical regression model indicate moderation effects of peer support and school climate; higher levels of cyber victimization were more strongly associated with internalizing symptoms when adolescents reported lower levels of peer support whereas higher levels of cyber victimization were more strongly associated with internalizing symptoms when adolescents reported more positive experiences of school climate. Structural mediation models show partial mediation effects with higher levels of cyber victimization associated with lower levels of peer support, lower levels of family support, and poorer experiences of school climate respectively, which in turn, were associated with more internalizing symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of creating safe and supportive environments at home and at school to promote healthy development during early adolescence, however, these efforts may not benefit adolescents who experience repeated cyber victimization.

Cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use among Chinese adolescents: Longitudinal mediation through mindfulness and depression

Although previous research has demonstrated that the experience of cyberbullying victimization is associated with behavioral and psychological health problems, it is still unclear how cyberbullying victimization affects physical and mental health issues. Our aim was to test the longitudinal linkage between cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use (PIU) via the possible mediating roles of mindfulness and depression. This study employed a two-wave longitudinal design. 661 Chinese junior high school students were assessed using self-reported questionnaires about cyberbullying victimization, mindfulness, severity of depression, and PIU. The results revealed that the experience of cyberbullying victimization was positively related to PIU through the mediating variables of mindfulness and depression.

Cyberaggression in Adolescents of Bolivia: Connection with Psychopathological Symptoms, Adaptive and Predictor Variables

Concern about the increase of cyberbullying underlies this study, which had four objectives: (1) to calculate the prevalence of cyberaggressors; (2) to compare non-cyberaggressors with cyberaggressors in other bullying/cyberbullying roles, in psychopathological symptoms, and in self-image of masculinity/femininity, happiness, and empathy; (3) to analyze whether cyberaggressors consulted with a psychologist more than non-cyberaggressors; and (4) to identify predictor variables of cyberaggression. Participants were 1558 Bolivian students aged 13 to 17 years. Seven evaluation instruments were administered, using a descriptive, comparative, cross-sectional methodology. Results: (1) 32.7% of cyberaggressors (27.4% occasional, 5.3% severe) were found, with a higher percentage of males; (2) compared to non-cyberaggressors, cyberaggressors engaged in more face-to-face bullying behaviors, suffered more face-to-face victimization and cybervictimization, had more psychopathological symptoms (depression, somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, hostility, paranoid ideation, psychoticism), higher overall level of psychopathology, had requested psychological assistance in a greater proportion, self-defined with many attributes associated with masculinity, and felt less happiness and less empathy; and (3) being or having been a cybervictim, being or having been an aggressor of face-to-face bullying, low empathetic joy, and a self-image based on attributes associated with masculinity were predictors of cyberaggression. The need for therapeutic intervention with all those involved and the importance of prevention in the school context are discussed.

Cyberbullying and Social Anxiety: A Latent Class Analysis among Spanish Adolescents

Cyberbullying is a common social maladjustment that has negative repercussions on the wellbeing and development of adolescents, but numerous questions remain as to the relationship between cyberbullying and social anxiety in adolescence. This study analyzes cyberbullying profiles (screening of harassment among peers) and assesses whether these profiles vary with respect to the level of social anxiety (social anxiety scale for adolescents). The sample consisted of 1412 Spanish secondary education students aged 12 to 18 (M = 14.36, SD = 1.65). Latent class analysis and ANOVA were performed. Analyses revealed three profiles: high cyberbullying (high victimization, aggression, and aggression-victimization), low cyberbullying (moderate victimization, aggression, and aggression-victimization), and non-cyberbullying. The cyberbullying patterns varied significantly for all social anxiety subscales. Students with the high cyberbullying profile (bully-victims) presented high scores on social avoidance and distress in social situations in general with peers, whereas these students presented lower levels of fear of negative evaluation and distress and social avoidance in new situations as compared to the low cyberbullying (rarely victim/bully) and non-involved student profiles. Implications for psychologists and educational counselors and cyberbullying preventive interventions are discussed.

Evaluating the impact of a defender role-play intervention on adolescent’s defender intentions and responses towards name-calling

Researchers and anti-bullying organisations have increasingly turned their attention to the role of bystanders in tackling bullying and peer victimisation (e.g. name-calling). The objective of this study was to develop and assess the impact of a role-play programme designed to strengthen adolescent’s defending behaviour to name-calling. This was measured in two contexts: defending intentions in an outgroup name-calling scenario and cyber-defender behaviour in a scripted online peer interaction. Participants ( N = 121, Mage = 12.90 years) were randomly assigned to either a role-play condition or a control condition. Results showed that defender intentions in an outgroup name-calling scenario were higher in the role-play condition, compared to the control; in addition, cyber-defender behaviour was more likely and quicker in the role-play condition, compared to the control. Defender self-efficacy was found to be significantly higher in the role-play condition, and mediated the effect of the role-play programme on defender intentions. Findings also revealed that defender intentions were positively correlated with cyber-defender behaviour, highlighting a link between intentions and behaviour. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Children’s (Non-)Participation in Cyberbullying and Emotional, Behavioural Problems

Technological changes are making the Internet more accessible and interactive. The opportunities offered by the Internet, Internet use (time, frequency, accessibility, social networks, activities, etc.), and threats are changing as well. Cyberbullying is identified as one of the main threats on the Internet that has the most serious consequences. Research has found that cyberbullying is the most frustrating Internet threat for children (Haddon & Livingstone, 2012). Considering that children do not live without the Internet, and that the opportunities and threats of the Internet change all the time, the impact on emotional and behavioural problems of children has not been fully explored. This study is part of the Lithuanian Science Council funded project “Children’s and adolescents’ Internet use in Lithuania: possibilities and risks tendencies in EU context” (No. S-MIP-17-1/LSS-250000-1087). It aims to compare emotional and behavioural problems of children who have been victims of different forms of bullying and/or bullied themselves. During the data collection in 2018, 1012 children aged 9 to 17 years were interviewed; 161 (15.9%) children reported being bullied over the last year (61.5% of them in cyber space), and 65 (6.4%) children bullied others over the last year (52.3% of them in cyber space). The results show that cyberbullying is more often related to traditional and other forms of bullying than it takes place separately. However, there is an overlap in bullying environments: children who have experienced traditional bullying, bully others in a traditional way; and children who have experienced cyberbullying, bully others in the cyber space. The results confirm that the experience of bullying is related to poor psychological functioning, but the most emotional and behavioural problems are experienced by those kids who participated in or experienced traditional bullying. According to the results of this study, the harm caused by a traditional bullying is greater than cyberbullying.

The role of psychopathic traits and moral disengagement in cyberbullying among adolescents

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of cyberbullying suggests that about 15% of school-aged children are involved in some way, although estimates vary widely. Preventing and limiting the behaviour will require more understanding of how mutable variables relate to it. There is some evidence linking higher psychopathy scores to cyberbullying, but the cognitive processes involved in 'moral disengagement' may provide better candidates for intervention.

AIMS

To test the hypothesis that psychopathy scores and moral disengagement ratings would each be associated with cyberbullying, but that sex and age would moderate any associations.

METHOD

We conducted a cross-sectional study with 334 11 to 15-year-olds (162 girls, 172 boys) from two French schools. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire which measured cyberbullying, psychopathy traits and moral disengagement.

RESULTS

We found a significant relationship between moral disengagement scale scores and cyberbullying ratings, but a stronger relationship between psychopathy scores and likelihood of cyberbullying. Neither sex nor age of the students affected these relationships.

CONCLUSION

This study adds to existing knowledge in showing that enduring personal qualities, as captured by a self-rated psychopathy scale, may increase the risk of cyberbullying among adolescents. The findings suggest that teachers should be helped to monitor students' emotional and cognitive social skills and consider extra support for those who struggle to recognise or process others' distress.

Examination of cyber aggression by adult consumers: ethical framework and drivers

Purpose

The widespread use of information and communication technologies enables consumers to obtain and share information whenever they feel the urge. With the advent of review websites and forums, companies and business owners may find themselves victims of consumer cyber aggression, which can hurt a company badly. This study aims to explore why consumers would engage in cyber aggression against companies, and to that end, it examines consumers’ ethical orientation and other possible drivers of cyber aggression.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine how ethical orientation affects consumers’ intention to engage in cyber aggression, a scenario-based 2 × 2 (deontological: moral/immoral × teleological: good result/bad result) between-subject experimental design is used. Moreover, 26 possible drivers in related literature are identified and included in a questionnaire administered to 226 college students.

Findings

The results show that adult consumers’ deontological and teleological evaluations significantly affect their ethical judgment about engaging in cyber aggression, which further impacts their intention to perpetrate an act of cyber aggression. Moreover, the study identifies six factors contributing to cyber aggression engagement as follows: personal aggressiveness, ease of perpetration, internet negativity, personal gains, helping the company and recreation.

Originality/value

Cyber aggression is generally viewed as interpersonal violence among adolescents. This study views cyber aggression from a different perspective and it is one of the few studies to look at adult consumers’ motivations to engage in cyber aggression against companies. The findings of this study can help firms understand why their customers attack them online, and understanding that will enable businesses to formulate more effective responses to attacks.

The Differential Victimization Associated With Depression and Anxiety in Cross-Cultural Perspective: A Meta-Analysis

Traditional bullying and cyberbullying have become serious worldwide issues. The meta-analysis in this article took a cross-cultural perspective to explore whether there were any differences between the effects of cyber victimization and traditional victimization on the presence of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents and to examine the effects of moderators in explaining these differences/similarities. Fifty-six empirical studies (generating 148 independent samples) were included with a total sample size of 214,819 participants. The results indicated that the effects of cyber victimization and the subtypes of traditional victimization on anxiety were significantly different, and there was a marginally significant difference for depression. The moderating effects of country of origin were found to be significant for depression, with the mean effect size in North America being significantly higher than in China and Europe, which suggested that culture was an important factor. The moderating effects of age were also found to be significant for the relationships between traditional victimization and depression, traditional victimization and anxiety, cyber victimization and depression, and cyber victimization and anxiety. In addition, the effect size for cyber victimization and depression has increased in more recent publication years.

Cyberbullying and depression among Chinese college students: A moderated mediation model of social anxiety and neuroticism

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying is a serious social issue that can cause a number of psychological and behavioral problems for perpetrators and victims. Previous studies have shown that adolescent victims of cyberbullying are more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between the perpetration of cyberbullying and depression, or the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship.

METHODS

A questionnaire survey was conducted among 476 college students to investigate the relationships between cyberbullying perpetration and depression, the mediating role of social anxiety, and the moderating role of neuroticism.

RESULTS

The results showed that cyberbullying perpetration had a significant and positive predictive effect on depression. Social anxiety partially mediated this relationship. The direct predictive effect of cyberbullying perpetration on depression, and the relation between social anxiety and depression, were both moderated by neuroticism. Cyberbullying perpetration had a greater impact on depression for college students with lower levels of neuroticism and the predictive function of social anxiety on depression was stronger for individuals with low levels of neuroticism too. But neuroticism did not moderate the association between cyberbullying perpetration and social anxiety.

LIMITATIONS

This study focused only on the individual variables influencing the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression, and did not examine interpersonal or environmental variables. Also, the cross-sectional research design means that causality cannot be deduced from the results.

CONCLUSIONS

Cyberbullying perpetration can predict depression directly, and also indirectly via the mediating role of social anxiety. Neuroticism moderates the relation both between cyberbullying and depression, and between social anxiety and depression. These findings provide new perspectives for the treatment and prevention of depression among college students.

Friendship Quality and Gender Differences in Association With Cyberbullying Involvement and Psychological Well-Being

Current literature has documented the detrimental effects of cyberbullying which include a range of internalizing and externalizing problems for those involved. Although critical, this research can sometimes ignore social-ecological aspects of a child's life that can potentially 'buffer' the negative psychological effects of such involvement. With this in mind, this cross-sectional investigation of 12-16 year olds [M(SD): 13.5(1) years] in Ireland focused on the role of friendship quality and gender in association with cyberbullying involvement and psychological well-being (N = 2410). The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Scale was used to measure cyber perpetration and victimization. A modified version of the Cambridge Friendship Questionnaire was included to investigate peer friendship quality. Finally, the Moods and Feeling Questionnaire and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were chosen to provide a measurement of psychological well-being. Prevalence rates for various types of cyberbullying roles (cyber bullies, victims and bully/victims) are presented, as well as differences for psychological well-being, friendship quality and cyberbullying involvement. In addition, regression models were used to determine the associations between gender, age, friendship quality and involvement in cyberbullying with psychological well-being. The results are considered in terms of the current literature and directions for future research are suggested.

Young, Bullying, and Connected. Common Pathways to Cyberbullying and Problematic Internet Use in Adolescence

Cyberbullying perpetration (CBP) and problematic Internet use (PIU) are the most studied risky online activities for adolescents in the current generation. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between CBP and PIU. Still lacking is a clear understanding of common or differentiated risk and protective pathways for adolescents interacting in the cyber world. The aim of this study was to understand the role of individual (emotional symptoms) and environmental variables (parental monitoring) underpinning both CBP and PIU, with time spent online as a mediator of these factors. Furthermore, we investigated gender and school level differences in these dynamics. A questionnaire was filled in by 3,602 students from Italian Lower Secondary Schools and Upper Secondary Schools. Structural equation modeling was used to test the effects of emotional symptoms and parental monitoring on CBP and PIU mediated by time spent online, controlling for school level. In addition, the model was implemented for girls and boys, respectively. Negative emotional symptoms and low levels of parental monitoring were risk factors for both CBP and PIU, and their effect was mediated by the time spent online. In addition, parental monitoring highlighted the strongest total effect on both CBP and PIU. Risk and protective pathways were similar in girls and boys across Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary Schools, although there were some slight differences. CBP and PIU are the outcomes of an interplay between risk factors in the individual and environmental systems. The results highlight the need to design interventions to reduce emotional symptoms among adolescents, to support parental monitoring, and to regulate the time spent online by adolescents in order to prevent risky online activities.

Cyberbullying Victimization and Perpetration, Connectedness, and Monitoring of Online Activities: Protection from Parental Figures

Cyberbullying victimization and perpetration are associated with poor mental health outcomes for adolescents, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicide ideation. Although most cyberbullying occurs at home, few interventions have been developed for parents of adolescents. We examined parental connectedness and parental online monitoring in relation to cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, with the goal of understanding how parents buffer young teens from involvement in cyberbullying. We leveraged data from an existing study involving three racially and ethnically diverse middle schools in a metropolitan area in the Midwest of the U.S. (n = 570). In the spring of sixth grade, students reported on cyberbullying involvement, parental connectedness, and parental monitoring. Greater parental connectedness was related to a lower likelihood of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration in logistic regression models. Parental monitoring of online activities was not related to cyberbullying victimization but was marginally related to a lower likelihood of cyberbullying perpetration. Results suggest that cyberbullying prevention programs should consider ways to foster parent/youth connectedness.